Chelsea aim to seal £60m signing of Jose Gimenez as West Ham hold onto Declan Rice

Posted Thursday, August 06, 2020 by Dailystar.co.uk

Jose Gimenez is Chelsea manager Frank Lampard's No1 target at centre-half now with West Ham refusing to sell Declan Rice and the Atletico Madrid star will cost the Blues £60m

Frank Lampard has made Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez his No.1 target at centre-half with Chelsea making waves in the transfer market.

The Blues have already landed striker Timo Werner and winger Hakim Ziyech, while playmaker Kai Havertz is edging closer to joining too.

Gimenez could add much needed quality to the team defensively, with Lampard having focused on attacking reinforcement so far.

Ex-Chelsea youth and West Ham fan-favourite Declan Rice is another he has been keen to bring to Stamford Bridge.

But the Blues’ London rivals have refused to sell after they survived the drop post-lockdown.

With West Ham not budging over £80m England ace Rice, who can play in holding midfield and a centre-half, Lampard has turned his attention to Gimenez.

Chelsea aim to seal £60m signing of Jose Gimenez as West Ham hold onto Declan Rice
Chelsea are ready to sign Jose Gimenez from Atletico Madrid (Image: PA)

The 25-year-old has a release clause of £110m, but Football Insider say Chelsea hope to sign him for just £60m.

The Uruguay international has struggled with injuries this season but is highly rated and seen as a solution at the back.

Antonio Rüdiger, Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori have rotated in the role this term.

Chelsea aim to seal £60m signing of Jose Gimenez as West Ham hold onto Declan Rice
Declan Rice is too valuable for West Ham to sell

Lampard knows he needs a top quality centre-half following their qualification for the Champions League next season, though, and he is ready to move for Gimenez.

Chelsea will have to wait, however, for Atletico to finish their campaign.

Like the Blues, they return to Champions League action soon, with the La Liga side facing RB Leipzig in their quarter-final tie next Thursday.